Methods of this type are used in working machines such as dumpers with a shiftable transmission having a number of fixed gear ratios and an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine can be rotational-speed-regulated, which means that at each fixed position of the accelerator pedal the internal combustion engine is controlled in such manner that it operates at a constant rotational speed, and the possibility exists of operating the internal combustion engine in a torque-controlled manner, this in turn meaning that at a fixed accelerator position the internal combustion engine is controlled in such manner that regardless of the rotational speed it delivers a constant torque.
However when the working machine, in particular the dumper, is operated with a torque-controlled internal combustion engine, then particularly at a high torque and when an upshift is carried out, the problem of shift shock occurs, since the necessary torque after the shift would have to be increased by the factor of the gear ratio change of the transmission during the shift. But since the internal combustion engine is controlled in such manner that the drive output torque remains almost constant, the shifting point for downshifting is reached again directly after the upshift, and this leads to an immediate downshift.